The Tampa Bay Lightning went from nearly irrelevant to near the top of the table with a 10-game win streak.
On Sunday night, the streak ended with a loss to a team near the bottom of the table, the New Jersey Devils, in a 3-1 decision.
“There’s a lot of pride in the fact that we went on that run,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “We talked about going on a run before that, that we needed an extended point streak, and to get 10 wins in a row is pretty great. We put ourselves back in a position we knew we could be at this time of the year.
“You can’t just be satisfied with a run like that when it ends, and we’ll look to get back home and collect some more points.”
Prior to the game, New Jersey’s general manager, Ray Shero, was fired.
Andy Greene had a goal for the Devils who trailed early, 1-0, in the game.
“I think when we manage the puck well, we force teams and put teams in tough positions with our speed,” Greene said. “We’re not a grind-it team. When we use our speed and use it effectively, make the opposition turn, that’s when other stuff starts to open up.”
Louis Domingue, made 33 saves in beating his former team.
“You get in a groove there and they are two similar teams,” Domingue said. “We played the exact same game, nothing fancy. Pucks were in, pucks were out, blocking shots, attention to detail. There is only one recipe to win in this league.”
Tyler Johnson scored the lone Lightning goal.
Travis Zajac scored the eventual game-winner in the second period.
“Utilizing our speed is what has led to some success the last couple of games, offensively and especially defensively, making it tough for teams,” Zajac said.
Miles Wood sealed the win with an empty net goal.
[WATCH: All Lightning vs. Devils highlights]
Curtis McElhinney made 17 saves in the loss.
“It’s obviously frustrating. From my point, when you get your opportunities, you want to be on the right side of them,” McElhinney said. “I have to give credit to New Jersey; they blocked a ton of shots. We were certainly firing pucks, but they did a great job in front of the net.”
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